← How the World Writes · Lesson 3 of 3
Scripts built on meaning
Chinese characters each stand for a meaningful part of a word, a morpheme, rather than a single sound. Most characters combine a part that hints at the meaning with a part that hints at the sound.
Because the characters carry meaning, speakers of very different Chinese languages can read the same text, and the same characters were borrowed into Japanese and once into Korean and Vietnamese.
What does a Chinese character usually stand for?
A lesson is kept once you've answered the question and written at least 8 words. Nobody grades it; it stays on this device.